Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. There is no register of convicted criminals currently in place and no such register is under consideration. Justice is administered, as the Deputy said, in public in accordance with the Constitution and court outcomes can be reported in the media. The Deputy will appreciate that a decision on whether to convict a person and for what crime is a matter for the presiding judge and, quite properly, I have no role in this. Under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions. I assure the Deputy that the aim of the system is to make Ireland a safer and fairer place and I think we would all support that.

Appropriate sanction for those who commit crime is a key element of the justice system and, in the interests of public safety, the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into the community is at its core. This is the most effective and sustainable way to achieve a reduction in reoffending and to encourage and support a change in behaviour.

Records are maintained by the Courts Service of all convictions. Garda vetting provides an essential layer of protection for our most vulnerable people. The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 provide a legislative basis for the mandatory vetting of anyone wishing to undertake certain work or activities relating to children or vulnerable persons or to provide certain services to children or vulnerable persons. Individuals can also apply to An Garda Síochána for details of their own convictions.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to review the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act. This is to broaden the range of convictions that can be considered spent. This is an important commitment designed to help us to move towards a safer society with safer communities by making sure those who make mistakes have an opportunity to move on with their lives, where the conviction is for a minor crime at a point in their lives at which there is a strong incentive to stop offending and get their lives back on track. The Deputy asked about where there is serious crime and I ask him to get into that in more detail in his response. A general register is not something the Department is looking at, nor is it something I would favour.

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